Desert Riding 2017

[evdog]

Here's day 3 to keep the stoke alive.


Changing plans to ride Picketpost on Saturday shifted my plans for Sunday to ride something nearby like Gold Cyn, or AZT up Reavis Cyn or Boulders/Ripsey. Since I'll be riding the AZT 300 next week I wanted to check out the water cache's at Kelvin and Freeman Rd and refill any empties if need be. We'd heard from hikers there was a trail angel camped at Freeman Rd but I decided to check it out and ride that segment regardless.

I brought the moto along so I could self shuttle, its great to have that so I don't have to depend on others to get in awesome rides. Camped nearby, left MTB at trailhead, then dropped truck at the end and rode back on moto. Easy. Except damn was I tired after a couple big days. Ended up sleeping in and didn't start riding til almost 1pm.

It was true the trail angel was camped there and will keep water topped up til Apr 3 so no need for me to refill anything.

After setting up I was off for some fast miles through the Boulders segment

Counterweighted gate

The namesake boulders

This segment is sweet but it isnt' all rainbows and unicorns. There is an annoying amount of jeep trail, but its still good riding (except for this hill)

Back to open singletrack

Ripsey comes into view. I will be climbing those switchbacks shortly. Fortunately it only takes about 15 min to climb the whole thing

After a fast drop into Ripsey wash I begin the climb out. All the wash crossings were rideable, things are in great shape !

Climbing the Ripsey switchbacks, had to stop and take in the view

Awesome flower display continued

Ripsey is generally known as the best ridgetop ride in AZ. I'd highly recommend checking out this ride and Picketpost for anyone who gets the chance.

Some self timer action shots

Ridgeline continues

Nearing the end

I finished off the descent quickly and made for the swimming hole!

Great way to end a trip. The only misfortune was starting late meant ending late, but I did make it back to the start to pick up the moto before dark, so there's that. Drive home was uneventful.

 

[bigringrider101]

Let me know if you'll be doing carrizo plains this spring. I had that in my list for a while now.

 

[SnakeCharmer]

^ Simply outstanding!

 

[evdog]

@bigringrider101 I've been wanting to do the Tour de los Padres for ages. It's hard to make it work this time of year though. Flowers will apparently be good til late April so maybe I can get it in end of the month. Will have to wait and see.

 

[evdog]

Well I thought desert riding was done with for the season, but a cold snap this weekend gave us the chance for one more weekend of riding, which we did not pass up! I hit up Mt Laguna Friday for a ride, and was planning to do some more exploration for a future trail connection Saturday. It was nice overnight and early morning, but in the course of 30 mins around 8am the temps dropped 20+ degrees and the wind picked up. By the time I got to the spot I was going to explore heavy misting clouds had moved in with strong wind. Brush was already soaked and I was not equipped to handle those conditions, so I bailed off the mountain.

Not having other plans aside from Palm Canyon Sunday I headed up that way. It was very cold and windy up at Pinyon so that ruled out any ride up top. I had time and decided to head up to Joshua Tree and check out Section 6, a small trail system I've been wanting to check out for a while. By the time I got up there, I had just 2 hours of sunlight. This turned out not to be a problem as I was able to ride most of the trails in that time.

Right next to my parking/camping spot

Trails were rocky and fun. Maybe not flowy enough for some...

I rode the eastern trails first, then moved back to the west.

Most of the trails were good. Only one, the Luge, sucked because of sand. I did a bit more exploring to see if I could find a more sheltered campsite but they all seemed to have lots of wind exposure. It was a fun ride but not the most restful night.

 

[evdog]

Sunday was the main event. We had considered Palm Canyon the weekend before when forecasts had briefly showed mid 80s for a high. That never happened, but when I saw high of 70 for this weekend I was going to ride it for sure. A few were interested but ultimately all bailed except for one.

I had thoughts of using the Crazy Bear which had scheduled a Sunday run, but coming from San Diego that doesn't really save us any time as we still go back up the hill to get home. We wound up at the top just as 2 vans unloaded. Most of the riders took off ahead of us and we'd never see them again. A few others we would leapfrog through out the day.

The forecast had showed a threat of rain with thunderstorms possible after 11. It looked good when we got up top, just the odd sprinkle let loose as we pedalled.

Clouds were hanging over both the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mtns

With a bit of moisture the trails were running fast and we were having a great day

The sand wash was nicely packed as it has been most of the season, then it was up Hahn. I had to stop close to the summit and put my raincoat on as we got pelted.

We got rained on the whole way down Hahn, then it was just off and on.

We did the standard route and climbed our way up to the saddle and along the final ridgeline.

We made good time on the final descent. We definitely lucked out on the weather and had a great day. I was stoked to get in this one last ride for the season!

 

[SnakeCharmer]

Well I thought desert riding was done with for the season, but a cold snap this weekend gave us the chance for one more weekend of riding, which we did not pass up! I hit up Mt Laguna Friday for a ride, and was planning to do some more exploration for a future trail connection Saturday. It was nice overnight and early morning, but in the course of 30 mins around 8am the temps dropped 20+ degrees and the wind picked up. By the time I got to the spot I was going to explore heavy misting clouds had moved in with strong wind. Brush was already soaked and I was not equipped to handle those conditions, so I bailed off the mountain.

Not having other plans aside from Palm Canyon Sunday I headed up that way. It was very cold and windy up at Pinyon so that ruled out any ride up top. I had time and decided to head up to Joshua Tree and check out Section 6, a small trail system I've been wanting to check out for a while. By the time I got up there, I had just 2 hours of sunlight. This turned out not to be a problem as I was able to ride most of the trails in that time.

Right next to my parking/camping spot

View attachment 28097

Trails were rocky and fun. Maybe not flowy enough for some...

View attachment 28098

I rode the eastern trails first, then moved back to the west.

View attachment 28099

Most of the trails were good. Only one, the Luge, sucked because of sand. I did a bit more exploring to see if I could find a more sheltered campsite but they all seemed to have lots of wind exposure. It was a fun ride but not the most restful night.

View attachment 28100

Section 6 has been a regular place to play for me since it was built. I spend a considerable amount of time in YV/JT every year and I always bring a bike or two.

Did you see any other riders up there?

 

[SnakeCharmer]

Sunday was the main event. We had considered Palm Canyon the weekend before when forecasts had briefly showed mid 80s for a high. That never happened, but when I saw high of 70 for this weekend I was going to ride it for sure. A few were interested but ultimately all bailed except for one.

I had thoughts of using the Crazy Bear which had scheduled a Sunday run, but coming from San Diego that doesn't really save us any time as we still go back up the hill to get home. We wound up at the top just as 2 vans unloaded. Most of the riders took off ahead of us and we'd never see them again. A few others we would leapfrog through out the day.

The forecast had showed a threat of rain with thunderstorms possible after 11. It looked good when we got up top, just the odd sprinkle let loose as we pedalled.

View attachment 28101

Clouds were hanging over both the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mtns

View attachment 28102

With a bit of moisture the trails were running fast and we were having a great day

View attachment 28103

View attachment 28104

The sand wash was nicely packed as it has been most of the season, then it was up Hahn. I had to stop close to the summit and put my raincoat on as we got pelted.

We got rained on the whole way down Hahn, then it was just off and on.

View attachment 28105

We did the standard route and climbed our way up to the saddle and along the final ridgeline.

View attachment 28106

We made good time on the final descent. We definitely lucked out on the weather and had a great day. I was stoked to get in this one last ride for the season!

Guys, this year May is forecast to have below average temps. Maybe another ride through there?

 

[evdog]

Nope, had the trails to myself. There were quite a few people out camping. Err, trying not to get blown away by the wind....

 

[Cyclotourist]

Weekend before last a few of us headed out to Anza Borrego to do a ride. Some wanted to ride Carrizo Gorge while others wanted a bigger ride. The solution was to combine em into one! Mileage looked sufficiently big but the elevation gain was comical, only 1,200ft over 45mi. 3600ft down though. The wildcard would be sand, but considering the sand wash in Palm Canyon is 1100ft up in under 4mi I was pretty sure we could handle the climbing on this ride.


Great day on the bike! Carrizo is an experience, and I was stoked to connect it to Anza Borrego and get to explore a couple new to me canyons. There is still a ton out there to check out. If the rain continues I'm sure I will be back out there soon.

Do you or any of the other riders have a Strava for this? Kicking around the idea of over-nighting it out there.

 

[evdog]

No strava but if you PM me your email I can send you a gps track.

 

[Cyclotourist]

No strava but if you PM me your email I can send you a gps track.

So this happened over the weekend! I went down south with @riiz (THANKS for driving!!!) and we met our friend David down at his house. The original plan was to head out and camp in Canyon sin Nombre on Fri night, ride Sat, and then bang around the desert Sun morning. Well, he couldn't get off work, so we settled for "camping" in his spare rooms! We did get to ride the Del Mar Tunnels trails, which was a blast. I have been there a couple times, but Eric's first new dirt experience!

Sat morning, we headed out for the desert. Breakfast and coffee in Alpine, then up and over to Ocotillo where we met the rest of our group. We got a late start, but weather was PERFECT, and never got really hot. We drove out to Dos Cabezas cross-roads/water tower, geared up, and were off! The 15 mile ride ended up turning into a 30 miler as we ended up riding up the tracks to the far end (almost) in Jacumba. That was fine and good, but none of us planned on that for nutrition, gear, battery life. We survived after splitting some rations, took a lot of pix, and headed back down the trail. My phone was one that wasn't fully charged, so I just captured the Strava on the ride up, not the fast trip back down: https://www.strava.com/activities/1261462010

We picked up some Marines and dropped them off at the Lazy Lizard in Ocotillo. Then headed out to the desert. Banged around trails, got sorta' stuck or at least flummoxed by one feature, turned around to retrieve our precious cargo left at the trailhead (beer), and found a PERECT camping spot at the head of a little slot canyon. Cold-ish beer, and grilled Korean bulgogi. Asleep at midnight, waking up sometime the next morning. Again, perfect camp. We drove around Sun, heating some of the big off-road features in that area with little drama. Hiked in some really cool caves along the trail. A LONG drive home with road closures, slow trucks, and RVs that didn't pull over with 24 cars behind them. Made it home by 5:30, and the house was still standing!

If you haven't been on this ride, I think it's one of the required SoCal epics you should do! Get out there this fall/winter and ride it with some friends... it's a unique experience you won't forget! Thanks @evdog for talking this up and providing the info on it... it's a good one!

Full pix here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclotourist/sets/72157662323451708

 

[rossage]

Good job! I've been hearing the call of the desert lately.

 

[SnakeCharmer]

Desert RR:

Did the Geology Tour Road lollipop in JTNP today with my cousin. 17.18 miles. Perfect temps with a nice breeze to keep us comfy. Almost no cars on the ride until we were climbing back out of Pleasant Valley. Passed by Berdoo Canyon junction on the way through. Stopped along the way to check out some abandoned mine ruins.

Yes, my cousin rides a 26er!

RELIVE: https://www.relive.cc/view/g15406053416

 

[evdog]

Good to see you had a great time @Cyclotourist

Plenty to explore out there! We were nearby on Sunday at Mccain valley.

 

[Cyclotourist]

Good to see you had a great time @Cyclotourist

Plenty to explore out there! We were nearby on Sunday at Mccain valley.

Thanks, an all-around great weekend! You helped inspire this one!!!

 

[Faust29]

Thanks, an all-around great weekend! You helped inspire this one!!!

Chameleons everywhere!

What are your first impressions?

 

[Cyclotourist]

Chameleons everywhere!

What are your first impressions?

They're taking over #chameleonclub

This was the first real riding on it. Tire grip is amazing. Just grabs and grabs and grabs. I'm getting used to the wide bars, they're okay-ish. Like the dropper. It's pretty cool. Biggest disappointment is how heavy and hard to lift the front end is. I can't loft it over anything. Tell me it's just a technique thing, and not intrinsic to the geometry of the bike!!!

 

[Runs with Scissors]

I can't loft it over anything. Tell me it's just a technique thing, and not intrinsic to the geometry of the bike!!!

Use the Force, Luke!!

 

[Cyclotourist]

Use the Force, Luke!!

Too busy hanging out in Tosche Station

 

[mtnbikej]

They're taking over #chameleonclub

This was the first real riding on it. Tire grip is amazing. Just grabs and grabs and grabs. I'm getting used to the wide bars, they're okay-ish. Like the dropper. It's pretty cool. Biggest disappointment is how heavy and hard to lift the front end is. I can't loft it over anything. Tell me it's just a technique thing, and not intrinsic to the geometry of the bike!!!

You'll figure it out. The front end is heavier than what you are used to. You'll adjust, and soon the front end will come off the ground like second nature.

 

[Faust29]

They're taking over #chameleonclub

This was the first real riding on it. Tire grip is amazing. Just grabs and grabs and grabs. I'm getting used to the wide bars, they're okay-ish. Like the dropper. It's pretty cool. Biggest disappointment is how heavy and hard to lift the front end is. I can't loft it over anything. Tell me it's just a technique thing, and not intrinsic to the geometry of the bike!!!

I was several weeks in before I got comfortable on it and got any part of the bike off the ground- especially with the plus wheels.

Push ups help.

 

[Cyclotourist]

You'll figure it out. The front end is heavier than what you are used to. You'll adjust, and soon the front end will come off the ground like second nature.

I was several weeks in before I got comfortable on it and got any part of the bike off the ground- especially with the plus wheels.

Push ups help.

I got used to the wide bars I was bemoaning previously, so figure the front end will start to feel right in a bit. By the end of the ride I was charging down a couple drop-ins that I wouldn't have been comfortable with a few hours earlier! But definitely a different beast than my Gunnar. I was expecting the short stays to balance out the slack front, but guess not!

 

[Runs with Scissors]

I got used to the wide bars I was bemoaning previously, so figure the front end will start to feel right in a bit. By the end of the ride I was charging down a couple drop-ins that I wouldn't have been comfortable with a few hours earlier! But definitely a different beast than my Gunnar. I was expecting the short stays to balance out the slack front, but guess not!

As Captain Jack said, it's all about leeeverage. Shorter chainstays means a shorter moment arm, which requires more force due to the more-forward axis of rotation.

 

[Cyclotourist]

As Captain Jack said, it's all about leeeverage. Shorter chainstays means a shorter moment arm, which requires more force due to the more-forward axis of rotation.

So pull harder!!!

 

[evdog]

Final rides of 2017...

Last year I got invited out to Phoenix to do the Curmudgeon 100, a fun day ride in the desert. I got the invite again this year but being scheduled for Dec 30 it would be hard to make as I was heading back to BC to visit family. Rain pushed last year's ride into January which made it easy for me to get to. To make it work I drove out to Phoenix before the holidays and flew home from there, leaving my truck at airport long term parking with bike hidden/locked inside. As a bonus there are plenty of direct flights from Phoenix whereas San Diego only has one and it isn't very convenient. Not having to do a stop anywhere made the drive time almost a wash, as you don't dare leave less than 2-3 hours for a connection at holiday time. Had a good visit with family and a white Christmas.

The welcoming committee into Vancouver

It was cold and grey most of the time on Vancouver Island. No riding this year...

I have no interest in living in winter anymore

But it is nice to visit for a week

Heading for departures at 6am

I flew back to Phoenix early on the 29th which meant I'd have time for a ride that afternoon and make sure my bike was functional. Papago Park is close to the airport and mostly easy-ish trails so I decided that would be a good spot for that afternoon.

Many trails were marked but there were a lot of social trails too, which made navigation harder in places. I just took whichever trail looked most interesting, and generally headed north. There were a few large outcroppings and peaks with trails around each one.

There were also quite a few man-made lakes and some streams, being it is right next to a canal and the zoo. Made for a pretty nice and diverse ride

This one especially was really nice and had lots of picnic sites around it. People were fishing too.

The way back was pretty quick with less navigation required, and I passed by the back side of the zoo where the bighorn sheep hang out

I finished around 5 and then headed out to get some dinner and supplies for the next day.

 

[evdog]

I stayed at Jeff and Nancy's house again as did a number of other riders coming from any long distance away. The ride starts at 530am so this was welcome accommodation. I think there were around 12 riders this year.

The fast guys were gone instantly, and the rest of us settled in for a slight climb the first few miles. Brief stop with Curtis and Schillingsworth at the first turn

It felt like our pace was good but we were definitely slower by 20-25 min the first 10 miles. It was still pitch black at this point last year. I was about to turn my lights off here.

Looking west from the ridge top. Next we'll be riding over to the mountains in the distance - then along them north to south, loop a couple trails, then back S to N.

The sun finally makes its appearance

9am, 25 miles in we hit Pemberton Trail. Time for the first rest stop. Schilling had been having random cramps and dropped back for a while. Shannon and Beto caught up to us here.

There was some nice decorating work in place here

The lollipop to the south went by quickly and we were at the coolers around noon. Ben and Kim showed up on their tandem as we were eating

It turned out I'd be the only one continuing on the route through Brown's Ranch from there. And like usual I was the last rider.

The route through Brown's would be quite different and going opposite direction we took the prior year. I like the riding there - lots of big rocks make the terrain interesting, and it is quite twisty/turny.

Most of the route on the west side was new as they have acquired land and are adopting some existing trails and building new ones.

I was hoping to finish the whole ride before dark but things were slowing down for me. The knee pain I'd had prior to the holidays came back around mile 40. It was fine for a while after the lunch stop but came back, this time in both knees, around mile 65-70. Not horrible, but annoying.

The before dark finish was not to be again this year. At least I made it back past the cooler without needing my lights. Then it was another 1:15 back to Jeff's. I actually finished 20-30 mins later this year right at 8pm. I guess the Ibis isn't faster than the hard tail after all!

I had planned to ride again Sunday and Monday, but my knees were too sore the next day to do anything. We all cleared out of Jeff and Nancy's by around 9 Sunday morning, and I just drove home. Then had a nap... Definitely a great way to end the year! Thanks again Jeff & Nancy for setting this up and hosting!